Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Board to Again Reconsider Workplace Mask Rules
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
June 9, 2021

Share

SACRAMENTO — California’s workplace regulators are set to again reconsider controversial masking rules designed to protect employees against the coronavirus.

A “special meeting’’ of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board was hastily scheduled for Wednesday after State Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón sent a letter to the panel reiterating that the state plans to do away with virtually all masking and social distancing requirements for vaccinated people starting Tuesday.

That policy conflicts with the board’s vote last week to allow workers to go maskless only if every employee in a room is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The board will consider Aragón’s letter “and take action if appropriate,” board spokeswoman Erika Monterroza said.

The Cal/OSHA regulations apply in almost every workplace in the state, including workers in offices, factories and retail. Its pandemic rules apply to all employees except those working from home or where there is a single employee who does not have contact with other people.

Board Can Withdraw New Rules But Revisions Could Take Months

The board at Wednesday’s meeting could withdraw the new rules that it adopted less than a week ago, because those have not yet become effective, she said. But that would at least temporarily leave in place existing emergency rules that are even more stringent, requiring all workers to keep distanced and masked even if vaccinated.

It can’t adopt new changes without posting the proposed revisions and giving the public at least five calendar days of notice, she said. That potentially sets up further public comment and action at the board’s regularly scheduled June 17 meeting.

Even then, the board previously said it could take weeks if not months to make significant new revisions that would then need to be drafted into legal language and come up for a vote after more public discussion.

Newsom Under Pressure After Promise of Full Reopening

The board’s decision to adopt rules that are stricter than the pending state guidelines has put Gov. Gavin Newsom in an awkward position as the state nears what he promised would be a full reopening.

Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilman who backs recalling the governor in an election likely this fall, in an email to supporters on Tuesday referred to what he termed an “absurd new mask mandate” that “is not only an inconvenience to workers, but this anti-science policy imposes significant costs on small businesses and opens them up to costly frivolous lawsuits.”

Business groups opposed to workplace mask requirement say Newsom could use his executive powers to override the decision of his appointed board, though he seemed disinclined to overtly step in when asked about that option on Friday.

Board members made it clear a day earlier that the regulations are temporary, and they appointed a subcommittee to continue working on revisions.

Board to Work Towards Balancing Realistic and Enforceable Guidelines

Aragón said in his letter to the board that the state will conform with federal guidelines by dropping the mask requirement for those vaccinated while “requiring face coverings for all unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses.”

The board said it will hear briefings from the state Department of Public Health and California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, before considering “the impact of the presented information” on its new rules.

Newsom’s office repeated its statement from last week, that the administration is “hopeful the board will further revise its guidance to reflect the latest science while continuing to protect workers and balancing realistic and enforceable requirements for employers.”

Separately, the state health department recommended that workers who aren’t vaccinated be tested once or twice a week, depending on the type of test, if they come in close or frequent contact with the public.

That for instance includes those working in restaurants, public transit, theaters, amusement parks and other areas. It should also apply to those areas with higher virus transmission rates, the department said, and to high-density workplaces where physical distancing is difficult, such as factories or food processing plants.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

DON'T MISS

If You Thought Trump Wasn’t Serious About Deportations, Look at His First Appointments

DON'T MISS

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

DON'T MISS

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

DON'T MISS

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

DON'T MISS

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

DON'T MISS

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

DON'T MISS

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

DON'T MISS

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

UP NEXT

When to Catch the Last Supermoon of the Year

UP NEXT

Mattel Says It ‘Deeply’ Regrets Misprint on ‘Wicked’ Dolls Packaging That Links to Porn Site

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

UP NEXT

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

UP NEXT

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI Scrutiny

UP NEXT

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

UP NEXT

Visalia Rollerblader Suffered Major Injuries After Being Struck by Vehicle

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Indicted for Possessing Stolen Guns

UP NEXT

On Elon Musk’s X, Dems Are an Endangered Species While GOP Goes Viral

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

55 mins ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

1 hour ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

2 hours ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

2 hours ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

2 hours ago

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

2 hours ago

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

2 hours ago

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

2 hours ago

Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case

2 hours ago

Songwriters Hall of Fame Unveils Star-Studded 2025 Nominees, From Eminem to Janet Jackson

3 hours ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

A landmark from days of old when Merced was known as “Fountain City” is back, fully restored for new generations to appreciate. ...

42 mins ago

42 mins ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

46 mins ago

If You Thought Trump Wasn’t Serious About Deportations, Look at His First Appointments

54 mins ago

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
55 mins ago

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

1 hour ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

2 hours ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

2 hours ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

2 hours ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

Search

Send this to a friend